It was so beautiful here in San Francisco this weekend that we spent most of it outside, wandering around. We read on the beach in Pacifica, wandered around Burlingame, Millbrae and San Bruno looking for the best view of planes from SFO, had a delicious brunch (baking in the heat) at Universal Cafe, hiked the Lands End Trail, had Chinese gelato at Marco Polo, and made soup for the first time.

It was butternut squash soup. More specifically, it was Butternut Squash Soup with Star Anise and Ginger Shrimp from Epicurious (minus the evil shrimp, but plus the ginger that was supposed to be on the shrimp), and it was DELICIOUS! I might even go so far as to say that it was as good as any butternut squash soup I've ever had, bowls from restaurants included.

We made a huge mess of the kitchen, however, and the blender almost exploded when I started it (filled half way with nearly-boiling squash and soup). Thankfully, I had placed a towel over the top of the blender and was pushing down firmly on the lid. Oh, and we had to make a run to get butter because the butter in my fridge was 4 months expired.

Below is photographic evidence of my culinary exploits because otherwise, no one would believe me.

I *almost* made it to the end of the weekend without doing work. After dinner, I sat down at my computer and before I knew it, 5 hours had passed. I'm going to bed.